Once Upon A Dream
by Ms.Romanov
Summary: Ever since she was young, Natasha had dreams of a mysterious visitor. They stopped when she was 17 though and she just put it down to her brain creating them as a way to cope with what she was being trained for. But what happens when it seems that visitor is suddenly very real? And an enemy as well...
1. Chapter 1

"_Promise you won't forget me?" A quiet chuckle followed by a soft palm resting against blushing cheeks.  
"How could I ever forget you? Years from now, we will meet again and it'll be perfect." A simple press of lips against lips before the two parted ways for an undetermined amount of time.  
_

Sitting up in her bed, Natasha lifted a hand to her cheeks, feeling the dampness from tears. _Again? Why do I keep dreaming that…then waking up crying…_ She sighed softly and brushed her fingers through her messy hair as she gathered her surroundings. Yes, still in her apartment, not back at the dreaded orphanage. The soft snore coming from her spare room reminded her that Clint had come to visit and had passed out not long after dinner. Natasha was starting to get frustrated with herself, why were dreams bothering her so much? She hadn't dreamed about that scenario since she was about 20 and she'd pushed it to the back of her mind with no further thought about it. Yet now, after five years, it happened again.  
"Shit…" She sighed and pushed herself out of bed, padding through to the ensuite bathroom for a shower despite it being 5am.  
Once she was cleaned and sufficiently pushed the dream out of her mind, she pulled on her clothes and went to wake Clint with a mug of coffee.  
"Hey, sleeping beauty. We'll be late if you sleep much longer you know?" She sat on the edge of the bed, brushing her fingers through her friends hair as he groaned and tried to push her away with one of his feet. In front of everyone else, they were always in top form and professional – but alone they still acted like teenagers and let their guards down.  
"C'mon Tash, it's only 6am…It won't take that long to get there…" He mumbled into the pillows before the smell of coffee had him lifting his head like a dog sniffing at the air. A smile worked over his lips as he sat up and accepted the coffee, sipping it and peering at her over the rim of the mug. "You okay? You look a little…off." Natasha waved one hand slightly and tucked her hair behind one ear.  
"Dreams again, you know what it can be like." She gave a light smile at which Clint just nodded.  
"What's your assignment for today then Tash?" Reaching into her jacket pocket, Natasha looked over the paper she'd been faxed over.  
"They're sending me to Russia…some shady characters have been lurking around, import export disguise or something…." She shrugged a little, looking at him. "I have to go to a party and seduce some old guy for information." Clint chuckled, any other female agent and he would have worried about them but he knew Natasha could handle herself – that and he was pretty sure her thighs were made of reinforced steel. The fight that had ensued between them on their first meeting had left him struggling for breath when she'd managed to trap him.  
"Well, have a drink for me, I'm guarding the Tesseract again. Selvig thinks he can harness it and Fury is worried about people coming after it." Natasha nodded and petted his shoulder before heading back to her room to grab the bag she'd packed ready to take.

Things were almost going her way when that damn phone call came and interrupted her. Now she found herself back on her plane, heading over to India to fetch one Bruce Banner back. Her head was still spinning from everything Coulson had told her over the phone. Clint was compromised, some guy had appeared, attacked and taken the Tesseract and now she was having to fly to some slum to fetch a man who had serious anger problems. Her main worry was her best friend, what was happening to him? Who would take the Tesseract? She needed the files from Coulson as soon as possible. At least after landing she'd have a few hours to read everything while the other agents fetched Steve, a.k.a. Captain America, and a certain Billionaire currently building his own home with his own name blazing across the front. Typical Stark, wanting his name where everyone would see it and know him.  
When she finally landed, Natasha found an abandoned building outside of the main city – just in case something went wrong. She placed a spare gun under the table in a special strap before sitting down to read over everything she'd been e-mailed through. It all seemed crazy really… but who was she to say what was crazy, some of the missions she'd been on were just ridiculous really. Sighing heavily, Natasha brushed her hair back from her face and readjusted the shawl around her shoulders as she waited for the little girl to come back with Banner.  
_I hope you're okay Clint… _She sighed a little, ducking back into the shadows as she heard the pitter-patter of the young girls' feet as she fled through the house, leading Bruce inside. _Game face Tasha…_

Once everyone was rounded up in the Hellicarrier, discussing what to do about getting this Loki person captured and dealing with him, Natasha couldn't help but feel weird without Clint sat across the table from her, idly fiddling with his bow as Director Fury would drone on about plans and missions. Once everyone split up, Natasha headed to the room allocated as hers and lay on the bed, Fury had told her that under no circumstances was she to try and contact Clint in case it compromised anything else. She felt restless, a frown creasing her brow as she tried to figure out what anyone would want with Clint when they had the Tesseract _and _Doctor Selvig… A knock at her door brought her back to the Hellicarrer with a crash, sitting up and grabbing the gun strapped to her thigh. Maria looked at her with wide-eyes as she held up her hands in surprise.  
"Whoa, Natasha…I only came to tell you we might be on to something." Natasha nodded, muttering an apology before heading out to the main area to see what was happening when one of the people jumped around in their seat, claiming they found Loki in Stuttgart. Peering at the picture on the screen, something about the man on the cameras and pictures seemed eerily familiar but she just figured she probably saw his picture in the file or something. Shaking it off, she flew Steve out to Stuttgart with her. They flew in silence, tension about catching this person and Natasha hoping it meant Clint was close by and they could bring him back as well. However, after she'd dropped Steve off just a little out of the way and came in when she could hear him arguing with Loki over the headset – she realised they were a little too late and the man had almost turned a poor old man into dust. Even shouting at him through the planes speakers didn't seem to do a thing and she couldn't fire anything, too many civilians and a high risk of hitting Steve as well. Although as soon as she did manage to get her target locked, everything was disrupted and suddenly AC/DC was being pumped through the speakers like some cheesy concert introduction. Natasha just slumped back into her chair as a flash of gold and red flew past her window and she just settled for putting the aircraft on the ground to collect everyone once the fighting was over.

Natasha didn't even bother getting a look at the man they'd captured, the flight home was eventful as a certain God of Thunder appeared to snatch Loki away. She had to hover around the area to pick up those that couldn't fly while the men fought over God knows what. She just sighed to herself, part of her glad she was female and not pumped full of testosterone making her want to fight everything that posed even the tiniest threat. All she wanted now was Clint back and safe, hopefully Loki would eventually cough up the location of the Tesseract and they could shut this whole thing down. That was until they sat around discussing everything and Thor let slip that Loki was his adopted brother amongst other details they figured might help. Apart from the mention of an army and a plan to take over the world. Natasha managed to slip away though, her mind racing as she walked the corridors of the Hellicarrier. She had to bargain or offer a trade or something, just to ensure Clint was safe. If anything happened to him she'd never forgive herself for not being there to at least try and protect him.  
As she walked into the room where Loki had been put – originally intended in case Banner lost his grip on the Hulk – the tall male had his back to her, the light making the gold on his outfit shine. She stared at the back of his head, waiting for him to realise she was there. After a few seconds he turned around, a smile playing over his lips as his unnaturally blue eyes turned towards her.  
"There's not many who can sneak up on me…" It almost caught Natasha off-guard, that voice, the structure of his face and how he held himself….Now she knew why he seemed so familiar.


	2. Chapter 2

Natasha managed to keep herself stable, keeping stoic as she spoke to Loki, trying to bargain for Clint's life or at least get some information as to what was going on. Her brain whirling as she stared at the man in front of her, her acting seemed to be working as Loki got more riled up. Turning her back to him as she barely whispered "You're a monster…" which seemed to trigger him to slip out that he was after Bruce. Feeling her job was done, and she didn't want to slip up herself, Natasha swiftly left after that to go and inform the others what she'd found out - leaving Loki stunned that a mere mortal had managed to pull information from him without even trying too hard.

As Natasha walked back into the lab they'd put together for Bruce, arguments were breaking out. Some arguing over what S.H.I.E.L.D's plans were, some arguing over how to deal with Loki, and just general mass of testosterone in one room – especially since Steve and Tony were bickering over who was stronger or better than the other…Natasha didn't care, there was far too much going on at once. It only started to get scary when everyone's attention was turned to Bruce as he ranted about being low and how he had to deal with the Hulk, both Natasha and Director Fury reaching for their guns as they watched him subconsciously picking up Loki's sceptre and holding it like he was going to attack someone. It only quietened down when he realised what had happened and one of his computers started beeping to tell them they were on to something. He placed the sceptre down and went over to check, barely getting time to explain what was on his screen when there was a loud explosion and everyone found themselves being thrown around. Natasha put her hands out to protect herself as she flew through the floor and found the lower-level coming towards her face at a pace far faster than comfortable. She landed with a thump and a low groan as something landed on top of one of her ankles, effectively trapping her. Hearing chaos outside, Natasha managed to keep her senses as she pushed herself up, talking into the hands-free set to let the others know her and Bruce were okay… That was until she noticed him changing, the anger almost emitting from him like an aura. She tried bargaining with him, only to be screamed at before the once incredibly calm man started to change colour, his body bulking out as he smashed his way across the Helicarrier. Natasha felt panic flowing through her as she tried to pull herself free. Spy-assassin or not, she was still human and the sight of a huge angry green Bruce was enough to make her panic.  
After a minute or two of struggling, she managed to get free and make a run for it – the Hulk close on her heels. Adrenaline pumped through her as she ran, jumping and pulling herself around to try and get away from him. She never felt so terrified in her life as hearing, and feeling, the massive thumps as the Hulk chased her, each footstep shaking the ground she ran on. A few seconds later and he would have snapped her in half; instead she kept running, trying to leap to safety only to have a huge green fist swing towards her. It felt like being hit by a truck, the force and size of his fists smashing her into the steel pillars and sending her sprawling onto the floor like a discarded rag-doll. Consciousness just slipping out of her grip.

"_Who are you!?" The seven year old Natasha demanded, her training pistol aimed at the intruders' chest. It only had rubber bullets but he didn't know that, right? She might be young but there had been so many training and brain-washing sessions, she was practically already an assassin who didn't care if she put a bullet through someone's forehead. Green eyes stared wide at her own as he held his hands up.  
"Please, I mean no harm!" Narrowing her eyes, Natasha shoved the gun into the waistband of her pyjama pants and kept her fighting stance as she studied the boy in front of her. He looked barely older than her, and looked just as confused as she was.  
"How did you get in here?!" She demanded, not letting her guard down for even a second.  
"I…I don't know…I was practicing my magic…and when I opened my eyes I was here…" He replied quietly, Natasha glaring before she scoffed.  
"Magic? You expect me to believe that?" The boy nodded, confused as to why she didn't believe what he was telling her.  
"Yes. Do you not have magic here?" His eyes left hers to look around the room. "Where…am I?" She cleared her throat, arms folded stubbornly over her chest.  
"Russia." Still he didn't understand but this girl intrigued him, reminded him of another girl he knew back home, just as feisty as well. Stepping closer, Natasha inspected him. He didn't look like an alien, and with how confused he looked, he couldn't have broken in here intentionally.  
"What's your name magic man?" She snapped, frowning at him.  
"Loki. Loki Odinson of Asgard." _

Laying on the floor, everything sounded like she was underwater, trying to get her bearings together and move. Natasha became aware of Thor getting the Hulks attention away from her as she sat on the floor, feeling like a scared little girl who'd just escaped from the monsters in her closet. Compromised was the word she'd used, vulnerable and wounded that she'd narrowly just escaped with her life. Her ribs ached as did her head, her heart pounding in her chest as she took deep breaths to calm herself. There would definitely be some serious bruising in the morning thanks to Bruce. Hearing commotion going on around her and people shouting into her earpiece, Natasha snapped fully to her senses, hearing Director Fury asking if someone could go get Clint. Her heart sank a little; it was only fair she went after him.  
It only took a short while before she managed to find Clint, his eyes as unnaturally blue as Loki's had been. The Tesseract had to be the cause of this…how else would her beloved best friend have turned against them all so easily? As Natasha assumed, Clint was completely out of his mind and would not be open to talking. Only one way to deal with it…hand-to-hand combat. They usually sparred together anyway so she knew most, if not all, of his moves so it wouldn't be long. After fighting against him and starting to wonder if it was going to be too much, Natasha accidentally made Clint head-butt the steel railings incredibly hard. It was only when she heard him utter the nickname only he was allowed to use did she figure out what was needed. A swift punch to the face and he was out for the count.

Natasha dragged Clint back to his room and strapped him to the bed, just in case he tried anything else. He'd already blown up a propeller – which Steve and Tony were busy trying to repair – and scrambled the computers. There was no chance she was going to just leave him roaming the place. Once she was satisfied he was secure, she went to see if there was anything else she could help with. Although she'd only got part way along the corridor before Director Fury's voice came through the headset, letting everyone know that Thor was gone and so was Banner….and Loki had killed Coulson. Once the Helicarrier was back and safely flying again, everyone gathered around the main table. The air was thick with tension, mourning for the loss of Coulson and the fact that Loki had managed to slip out of their grip again. Natasha sat staring around at everyone before she excused herself to go and check on Clint, it was too tense and she didn't want to show her emotions to the others. She might be the only female but she still felt she had to be as strong as everyone else. Getting back to the room she'd left Clint in, she had a moment in the bathroom to cry over Coulson and letting herself be so weak and not help more. She composed herself though when she heard a groan from the room and headed back through to help Clint. She'd explain it all to him once he was himself again. Skipping out the flash-back she'd had of one of her dreams…that she wasn't even sure were dreams anymore. It took a good hour or so before Clint was back to himself, fighting off the power of whatever had possessed him, his eyes back to their natural colour.  
"Tasha how many Agents…." She shook her head, knowing exactly what he was going to ask about.  
"Don't. Don't do that to yourself Clint…" She replied softly, sitting on the bed beside him and informing him of Loki's escape. He asked her why she was getting involved and what Loki had done, she knew he could see straight through any mask she tried to put up in front of him.  
"I've been compromised." Was all she let him know. Compromised in that she'd been terrified and vulnerable when the Hulk chased her, when she realised she knew Loki from her past and when she learnt that while under control, Clint had told Loki all her darkest secrets. Clint just slid an arm around her shoulder and hugged her against his side, brief intimacy between friends and the closest she'd ever let anyone get to her. Outside of missions anyway.  
"We'll sort this Tash. Don't let him get to you too much…Loki is unstable and something we've never faced." She just nodded and sighed as she leaned against him. She knew Fury was talking to the others so no one would come in and question what was going on. Clint eventually pulled away to go and wash his face, wake himself up a bit and push off the migraine that Natasha had managed to bring on – better a migraine than still be under Loki's control though.  
Natasha looked up as a figure appeared in the doorway, Steve looking at her and informing her it was time to go.  
"Can you fly one of those jets?" He asked, the serious look on his face telling Natasha something had been figured out. Before she could respond, Clint came back from the bathroom.  
"I can." Steve looked unsure but when Natasha just nodded to confirm Clint was okay again, Steve seemed content and told them to suit up. Natasha wasn't sure how this was supposed to be done, with Thor and Bruce sent who knows where; they'd just have to try their best with two men missing.

Flying across to New York City, Steve filled her and Clint in on the conversation he and Tony had had to come to the conclusion of where Loki would be. The plan was to send Tony to Stark tower while Natasha and the others covered the ground just in case. She didn't feel entirely comfortable with this but what could they do except hope for the best now? Tony managed to fly on miles ahead of them while Natasha had to try and find a safe place to land, only starting to panic when the neon blue beam shot up from the top of Stark tower and opened a portal in the sky to let in the army Thor had mentioned to them. Steve was quick to react, directing her to land on the plane and giving the order to protect civilians as much as they could while fighting off the Chitauri. It was going to be tough, given that neither Natasha, Steve nor Clint could actually fly and these…beings seemed quite apt at it. But still they fought hard, taking down as many as they could. Natasha felt her spirits lift when Thor appeared by their side and soon after a dishevelled Bruce turned up on a tiny motorbike – it was almost comical but she kept her face straight, more to focus on than laughing at Bruce on a tiny bike. She was quite impressed when he started to turn huge and green again but managed to keep it under control and fight beside them instead of against them. Although it was starting to look hopeless after a while… The Chitauri had more man power and everyone was running out of ammo and energy. Until she found herself flying through the air with her daggers stuck into the shoulder-blades of one of the beasts, being shot at by Loki. It was all pretty much a blur until she found herself on the roof of Stark tower with a dazed Doctor Selvig babbling at her about closing the portal. She turned to look at the machine, a baffling mix of Asgardian magic and the machinery that Doctor Selvig had built up. She had no idea what to do other than pay attention to what she was being told. Loki sceptre… That would close the portal if she just pushed it through the force field and into the heart of the machine. She darted across the building and down to where the sceptre lay, lifting her head just to see the damage inside Tony's home. And the God of Mischief himself lay in the floor where the Hulk had tossed him around like a ragdoll. God or not, anyone's body needed to recuperate after the Hulk had grabbed them – she knew that herself. Picking up the sceptre, Natasha's eyes didn't leave the male inside the building, a lost and dazed look on his face as he tried to catch his breath. But what caught Natasha's attention were his eyes, while they were unfocused as she walked closer, the bright blue was gone. His eyes were back to their natural green hue again, the lost look in them made her almost pity him as he stared up at her, clearly not focussing properly. But she didn't miss the little smile on his lips.

_It was getting late…where was he?! Natasha paced her room, staring at the clock by her bed. 3 A.M. and still no sign of Loki… She was starting to wonder if he wasn't coming. Just as she was about to climb back into bed there was a flash of light and her companion arrived.  
"Sorry Nat. I was busy." She laughed and rolled her eyes, folding her arms over her chest as she looked at him. No matter how many times she told him, her name's Natasha, he still refused and called her Nat. She sat on her bed as he walked over and sat beside her. Loki had been visiting her every few nights since that first night he suddenly appeared. Now she'd just turned 13 and was still excited to see him. She started to notice more about him, as teenage girls do when they notice boys more, his eyes were a gorgeous sparkling emerald and his skin was like porcelain along with a jawline she wondered if he'd been sculpted by an artist.  
"What happened?" She frowned, reaching to touch a few little red marks around his mouth. Loki just laughed and waved her hand away.  
"Worry not. I lost a bet and had my mouth sewn shut for a few days." She stared wide-eyed at him, every time he told her a story about what happened on his home 'planet' – she started to think he was an imaginary friend. But it was stupid, 13 years old and a trained assassin… with an imaginary friend. No he had to be real. "I am immortal Nat, remember. These will fade within the next few days. My body heals faster than yours; however deeper wounds like this take a little longer than simply cutting my finger or something." She smiled softly, realising her hand was still on his face and quickly pulling away, her cheeks flushed as she looked up at him and he gave her a small smile, one hand resting against her shoulder gently. That little smile had her heart fluttering like a caged bird and she had to pull away, and keep up the mask she had been trained to have. Never let anyone close, never open your heart. Yet here she was, crushing on a mysterious man from another planet who may not even be real. A coping mechanism. But she'd enjoy it while it lasted.  
"Loki…" She started, only to be stopped by lips against her forehead. She pulled back as he smiled at her, her cheeks the same colour as her hair. "You are real, aren't you?" He laughed, brushing some hair back from her face.  
"As real as you. Why else would I keep coming back if I didn't exist? I'll be in your life forever Nat. I promise."_

Leaving Loki in the main building, Natasha dashed back to the roof where Doctor Selvig still was, waiting for her to instruct her on closing the portal. She pushed out the flash-back from her mind, the way Loki smiled fading into the corner in her mind for memories she deemed 'It's just a dream'. Steadying herself, Natasha pushed the sceptre through the force field, lifting one hand to flick the head-set back on and telling the others excitedly that she could close it down. Until Tony replied. A missile was heading for the city and he needed somewhere to divert it to. She had to try and hold out until Tony was back; she cursed under her breath and kept her stance, staring up at the portal where he'd disappeared through with the missile in his hands. It felt like the world stopped when he disappeared, Natasha never being a woman to pray but in that moment she was praying to anyone that would listen that Tony would be okay.  
"Close it…" Steve's voice came through her earpiece as everyone's eyes were on the portal, hoping to see the flashes of red and gold to indicate he'd escaped. She was about to argue when she figured she should just shut it since they'd just sent a missile into the Chitauri mother ship and blown it up, that would piss them off. She shoved Loki's sceptre through the whole machine and into the Tesseract, watching as the whole thing shut down, her eyes fixed on the closing portal. She could swear her heart just stopped as it slowly closed, hoping Tony would pop up behind her or something. It wasn't until the last second she caught sight of him hurtling from the sky. Relief was replaced with panic as everyone realised he wasn't slowing down; he was just falling to Earth at a great speed. She was praying that someone would catch him or he'd wake-up soon. But a blur of green mass told her Banner had jumped into action and grabbed Tony, taking him to safety on the ground. The silence was deafening as she sat on the roof top, looking at Doctor Selvig as they waited for any news on how he was. The roar of the Hulk broke the silence and she heard Steve sigh over the head-set, telling her Tony was awake and seemed perfectly fine.

Climbing down to meet the others, Natasha sent Doctor Selvig off with an ambulance to get looked over and make sure there was no lasting damage. Once she was content that everyone was uninjured, they headed up to go and fetch Loki so he could be dealt with. They all arrived as he was crawling out of his rut in the ground, pulling himself shakily onto the step before he realised he was being watched. Loki turned and looked at them as he gingerly sat down, looking from one person to the next before asking Tony for a drink. Natasha just rolled her eyes and passed Clint the sceptre – she was keeping it as a souvenir whether Loki liked it or not – and headed over to him, pulling him to his feet and strapping his arms behind his back so they would be able to take him back to the Helicarrier peacefully. The flight back was silent, Bruce massaging his temples as the Hulk had a tendency to be too noisy for his liking and leaving him with throbbing headaches, Clint was already on to the armoury requesting a tonne more arrows and Loki was just sat sullen between the two, knowing any move would be his last; while Steve sat quietly best Natasha.  
"Hey Cap, you're very quiet?" She said softly so no one could hear them talking. Steve sighed a little, shifting in his seat as he looked at her.  
"I lost a soldier once. One of my best friends and there was nothing I could do to save him…I thought we lost Tony as well. I was so scared." He admitted, Natasha reaching to give his hand a gentle squeeze.  
"He's okay though now; he'll be sat waiting at the Helicarrier with a glass of whiskey and a sarcastic quip on the tip of his tongue." Steve smiled softly at her and nodded.  
"Yeah, it's just scary when you think you're on top of everything, starting to win the battle when one thing can undo you…" Natasha just hummed in agreement. If only he knew the things swirling in her mind, her eyes lifting to look in the mirror at the others, Loki's head down as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_[[Authors note; I know this chapter is just the movie in Natasha's POV – but it flows better than if I just cut it out completely _ The next chapter is all my own creation though _


	3. Chapter 3

The flight back to the Helicarrier was pretty much silent the whole journey. Everyone lost in their own thoughts, Natasha just trying to keep her thoughts straight and not wander off into her memories again. As soon as they landed, they were met with two armed agents who grabbed Loki and took him inside to be dealt with. Tony wandered out, his phone glued to his ear as he assured Pepper for the millionth time that he was perfectly okay and there was no need to scream at him. Steve smiled lightly as Tony patted him on the shoulder and stood with them, his eyes turning straight to Thor.  
"So what happens now?" Natasha stepped out of the aircraft and stood beside Thor.  
"Loki will be dealt with once we have decided what to do with the Tesseract." She answered for him Thor turning to look at her, his eyes going from Tony to Natasha then back again.  
"Please, let me take Loki back to Asgard. The Tesseract belongs there and he will be dealt with by Asgardian justice." Tony sighed and rolled his eyes. "Look, I know he's done bad things but he was not himself, I know my brother. When he fought with me on your tower, his eyes were blue like your Agent Bartons were. It was not my brother doing these things – it was the Tesseract. Which is why I implore you to let me take them both to Asgard. My father will deal with them." Natasha ducked out at that point, heading inside to get herself cleaned up, the dried blood on her forehead was making her hair stick to her skin and her lower lip was starting to throb where it had been cut. She locked her door and headed to the small shower cubicle, tossing her dusty uniform out onto the bathroom floor.

Once she was clean and re-dressed, Natasha gave herself a check over, counting multiple bruises as well as a nice huge purple one covering the most of her left side.  
"Thanks for that Bruce." She muttered to herself, pulling her sweater down. Everything felt weird now, a huge fight had just been won. But at the cost of Coulson and most of Manhattan. She'd almost forgotten about Coulson in the panic and chaos of stopping the Chitauri. She pulled on her boots, tucking in a small knife out of habit before heading through to the main area where everyone else was now sat, talking quietly amongst themselves.  
"Agent Romanov, a moment of your time?" Natasha turned to look at Bruce, nodding before heading to sit beside him. "Look…I apologise if I seriously hurt you… I've just been told what happened." Natasha waved one hand.  
"Don't worry, I won't hold it against you. After all you did help save the earth." Bruce gave her a tired smile, his hand resting on her shoulder.  
"If the other guy seriously hurt you in anyway, feel free to come to me. I am a doctor as well as a genius." He smiled, Natasha laughing softly and nodding before she pulled away to turn her eyes to Clint.  
"How you feeling?" He shrugged a little, pulling off his archery glove.  
"I ache, it's been a while since we fought like that." He chuckled, placing his hands on the table, looking around at everyone before looking back at Natasha. "And you? You seem a little brighter now." Natasha shrugged, folding her hands in her lap.  
"I do feel a little better after stopping world domination from happening." Clint nodded, his eyes studying her face for a moment before he looked away.  
"Look, Tash, there's been something on your mind for a while now. I can tell. If you don't want to talk about it, I completely understand. But, you know I'm here for you." Natasha nodded, smiling at her best friend.  
"I know Clint. Sometimes there's thought processes that can't be put into words." Not that he'd be too happy if she suddenly turned to him and said she and Loki were childhood sweethearts. The man had controlled Clint and made him spill every secret he had about Natasha. Well those he knew anyway, best friends or not, she still kept some things from him. Everyone soon fell quiet as Director Fury walked in with Agent Hill on his heels.  
"Now as you all know, we now have Loki in our possession along with the Tesseract. We are still trying to decide what is to be done…" He held up a hand as Thor opened his mouth to argue his point for the millionth time. "Thor I am considering your answers as an option. I won't rule it out but at the moment, we have a lot to do. We have to interrogate him and make sure he hasn't planted anything else anywhere." Thor just nodded and sank down into his seat, staying quiet now. "Does anyone else have anything to add or ask before I send you all off for rest?" Tony sat forward then, Natasha knowing the look on his face meaning he had found something out that was being kept from everyone.  
"You want to tell me why you lied again and told us Coulson is dead?" Natasha gasped softly, her eyes darting straight back to their 'leader' as he cleared his throat.  
"I figured that would be mentioned since you went snooping around earlier. Yes. Coulson is alive; I never specifically said to you that he was dead. I said he was down." Director Fury leaned his hands against the table, the leather squeaking against the polished wood – a noise that Natasha always hated. "He is in intensive care, they aren't sure if he will make it, there's a chance he will and a chance he won't. All we can do now is wait for more news from them." Tony frowned; he was waiting for a chance to argue with Director Fury or something. Instead he just nodded and headed off to work on fixing and recharging his suit. Everyone eventually filed out to go and rest or do something else to wind-down – Natasha suspected Steve would head straight to the gym as he seemed to practically live there when he wasn't at home. Natasha herself headed straight to her room, and after a while managed to drift off to sleep.

_Dragging herself back to her room, Natasha felt exhausted. Her body ached and her stomach was still cramping from the poison put into her food – they claimed it was an exercise to get their bodies used to small doses of poison. She just thought it was cruel. When she finally got to her room, she pushed the door open and padded across the room, pausing at the sight of the male sat on her bed.  
"You're early." She muttered, Loki sitting up and smiling at her. Although his smile faded seeing the state of the girl in front of him.  
"Nat…what happened?" He stood up, heading over to her and holding onto her arms as she wavered a little. She waved one hand and leaned lightly against the edge of the bed for support.  
"Poison doses – to try and build immunity to them in case someone tries to kill us." She mumbled, lowering herself onto the bed and kicking her shoes off, her eyes on Loki for a moment. "Are you staying long?" Loki shrugged and sat beside her as she relaxed against the mattress.  
"I can stay as long as you wish." He replied, reaching out to stroke her hair gently, a small smile on her lips as she nodded.  
"Good." She whispered, reaching to pull him close and hugging him close like he was nothing more than a huge teddy bear. She smiled lightly when she felt his fingers in her hair, feeling his chest rumbling under her head as he hummed a song to her to help her sleep._

Waking a few hours later, Natasha rolled onto her back, her eyes staring at the ceiling with her hands folded behind her head. More dreams bringing back memories of her childhood days, it was starting to get out of control now. She was glad she didn't talk in her sleep otherwise someone would know what was happening inside her mind and her past. A sigh escaped her as she stood up and headed out her room, the Helicarrier was quiet apart from the engines and the odd noise of security wandering around. She kept quiet as she walked, it must be the early hours of the morning since no one was around. A quiet sigh left her, her feet taking her down multiple corridors, passing the other Avenger's rooms – Clint sprawled out across his bed in the most unattractive pose for a relatively handsome man but she'd seen him sleep in stranger positions. She smiled lightly to herself, pushing her hands into her jacket pockets, her shoes hardly making noise as she walked. Before she realised it, she was back at the holding cell. Her eyes lifted to look at the glass door. The cells were pretty much the same as the bedrooms except smaller and without a bathroom. Loki was sat on the edge of the bed, fingers steepled as his elbows rest against his knees. His eyes were closed but he clearly knew she was there by the way his back stiffened.  
"Barton has already given me a piece of his mind and his fist…What can I do for you miss Romanov?" His voice was deadpan and not as demanding as it had sounded only a few hours prior. As he lifted his head, the bruising on his face had faded, leaving but a few small cuts that obviously struggled to heal now he wasn't on Asgard anymore. Natasha shifted on her feet, shrugging as she folded her arms over her chest.  
"Nothing. I just came to see what was happening." She replied quietly, glancing over her shoulder, the cameras weren't watching so she could talk to him without getting caught. She tilted her head as he looked up at her, his eyes the green colour she remembered from her memories. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked away, licking her lips before she realised he was still watching her before walking closer to the glass. Natasha didn't move of flinch, just like the first time they stood face-to-face on the Helicarrier only this morning.  
"Don't lie to me…there is something in your mind that brought you to me." His voice was soft, almost melodic as he spoke to her. "I am not a mind-reader but I can tell there is something going on in there." He folded his hands behind his back, his eyes trained on her face. He seemed a lot different now, calmer and his features looked softer, almost younger. Like the Tesseract's power made him look aged and tired. She swallowed lightly; trying not to stare too much as the memories practically flooded her mind like he was in there opening all the boxes.  
"There are a lot of things on my mind Loki. Why I am stood here though, there is no reason. I am merely walking around and waiting for sleep." Loki perked one eyebrow, staring at her quietly before pacing around the call like a caged Tiger pacing out of boredom.  
"I doubt I will sleep while my life hangs in the balance, my punishment is still unknown to me. I have told your Director Fury all he needed to know." After that, he paused, turning to look at her. "Tell me miss Romanov, what has Thor said? I hear he has bargained for my life." Natasha shrugged, moving to pull a chair over, sitting down and resting her elbows against her knees.  
"It's not my place to say. But he believes strongly that you are feeling remorseful for what you have done and he wants to help you. He cares a great deal for you…Blood related or not, you will forever be his brother." Loki scoffed, looking away, fixing his gaze on the floor.  
"Please don't lie to me." He muttered before his eyes turned to look at her, his features showing confusion momentarily before a small smile curled over his lips. "You didn't forget, did you Miss Romanov?" He asked softly, goose bumps spread along Natasha's skin as she swallowed lightly and stood up.  
"I don't know what you're talking about and I don't know why I came down here." She scowled at him, kicking the chair to one side as she stared at him before shaking her head and walking away. What she did miss as she left was the down-trodden look on his face when she didn't answer his question.

After a few days of heated debates, arguments and a few drunken nights, the day finally came to decide what to do with Loki. Thor stood at the head of the table, looking around at everyone.  
"Please let me take my brother back to Asgard… any punishment given here on Midgard won't do anything. Not that I doubt your justice system but Loki is of Asgard and he deserves to go back there to face trial. He caused a ruckus up there before coming here…he has yet to face trial for that." He said sadly, Natasha could see the love in his eyes for his brother, adopted or not – Thor held a great deal of love for Loki in his heart and would always forgive him for anything. Maybe that was a flaw, maybe it was a weakness. Either way, she could tell just how he spoke that Thor adored Loki and wanted the best for him. Clint agreed with Thor, Natasha figured that was just so he was out of the way and they wouldn't have to face or think about him again. It sparked off another argument before Director Fury slammed his hand against the table to get attention, everyone staring over at him.  
"Okay. The Tesseract and Loki go back to Asgard with you. This is magic and legends of old that we have no right dealing with. I know some of you won't agree with this but it's my call. Loki goes to Asgard to face his punishment there. End of debate. But you will all escort him and Thor to a quiet place where no attention will be drawn to them disappearing or how they're dressed." There was a quiet muttering before everyone reluctantly agreed and headed off to get ready to take the two so they could head home. Natasha felt a little reluctant to let Loki go without getting closure on her whole dream-memories issues but she knew it would be pointless to try and if it was just dreams then he would just laugh and tease her.

Meeting up in the park, everyone gathered around as Thor and Loki wandered over in their Asgardian attire, a muzzle firmly over Loki's mouth and his hands shackled together – both clearly made on Asgard and sent to Thor to take Loki home. It was quiet while everyone stood around, watching as Thor looked at them all with a slight smile on his lips, his eyes flicking from one to the next person. But Loki's gaze stayed locked on Natasha as she walked over, standing with Clint close to her side. She kept her eyes elsewhere, even turning back to make a joke to Clint about Loki – more to make herself feel better than anything. When she looked back, Thor nodded and held out the Tesseract container to Loki so they could head home. Loki looked reluctant as he glanced at his brother, his bright green eyes darting back to Natasha before there was a flash and they were gone. It felt odd, everyone stood around for a moment before heading off their separate ways. They'd all been dismissed on a long vacation period until they would be needed again. Natasha and Clint headed across town to her apartment, deciding what to do with their time off. Clint said he was heading off for a long relaxation weekend. 'I need to sort my head out after Loki played around in there' was his reasoning but Natasha was sure there was an ulterior motive but she just smiled and gave him a tight hug. For now, she figured she'd take some alone time and hope the dreams would leave her alone. She spent a lot of time in the gym, training, at the shooting range or just sat in her apartment with movies on or watching TV for a while. She couldn't get it out of her mind how Loki had looked at her before heading back to Asgard… but she had to get it out of her head. Why focus on something that wasn't there anymore and would never come back?


	4. Chapter 4 - Final

Heading down to the cells, Thor's heart was heavy as he worried about his brother. He knew Asgardian punishment would be worse than anything the Midgardians could throw at him. But when his father said Loki was to be trapped and have snake venom poured into his eyes until he saw it fit he'd paid for his crime – Thor's heart broke. He knew his brother would be punished but something like that was far too much. Approaching the cage, he could hear Loki's ragged breathing as the stinging subsided while the bowl of venom was re-filled. A low chuckle left the raven-haired one, his blood-shot eyes turning towards Thor.  
"So. You've come to see your fathers handy-work. Well here I am." He spat, blinking as his eyes tried to focus properly on his surroundings. Granted he was immortal and could heal quickly, it didn't stop how much it hurt to have the venom poured into his eyes and it made his vision blurry while his eyes were repairing themselves.  
"No brother, I have come to see you. Offer a hand to you if you will…" Thor replied softly, taking a seat close to Loki so they could see each other but far enough away so that no venom would get him as well. Loki scoffed, closing his eyes for a moment as the dull ache faded away which only sufficed to remind him that the next load will be coming again.  
"A hand Thor. To do what?" Thor sighed and placed Mjolnir on the ground beside him.  
"I noticed something back on Midgard…something different in you. I have seen you through many emotions and thought processes….yet this was something new." Thor shifted in his seat, folding his hands against his knees. Loki just rolled his eyes, turning his head to look over at Thor.  
"Really? And what might that be? You think you saw guilt or maybe even that I was sorry for what I did?!" He scoffed before resting his head against the rock underneath him again. "Don't be foolish." Thor shook his head.  
"Brother please listen. I saw something between you and Miss Romanov. I don't know what it is…but it was similar to what happened when I met Jane…I think you found love brother." Again Loki scoffed and pursed his lips.  
"Love…. Is for children." He replied softly, repeating what the mentioned woman had told him. Yes he felt something strong for Natasha, but he refused to admit it out-loud. There had been something between them when they were younger, an unspoken closeness between them, even that final kiss before they parted still lingered on Loki's mind.  
"So if I asked father to free you from this so you could be with her… you would still deny and refuse?" Loki paused, his mind whirling. Admit his weakness and hope she would accept him, or just stay and suffer until Odin decided to let him go.  
"I can send you to her…and if it does not work out, we can arrange something else. I do not want my brother suffering like this…"  
"I am not your brother!" Loki yelled, screaming in pain as the venom was poured into his eyes, momentarily blinding him and rendering him useless for a moment until he could speak again. He couldn't see but Thor looked hurt.  
"We may not be brother by blood. But we grew up together, trained and played together. I have told tales of our adventures together…you will always be my brother…" Thor sighed, seeing that the other had no interest in admitting anything or accepting the bargain. He stood up and shook his head, making his way to the exit.  
"Thor…wait…."

It was around 3am when Natasha finally fell asleep, her body aching and desperate for the sleep but her mind had put up a damn fight. But about ten minutes later, she was awoken by a flash of light on the other side of her bedroom. Snatching her gun up from the bedside table, she pointed the gun to the corner of the room where she could hear someone, her heart in her throat.  
"Oh right… the knocking thing. I do apologise my lady." Natasha sighed heavily and put the gun down.  
"Thor…You could have had a bullet between your eyes then." He laughed apologetically as he came to sit beside her, petting her arm gently. He'd appeared a few weeks previously and just caught her pulling clothes on, narrowly missing a knife thrown at him as she screamed at him to get out.  
"Again, I do apologise. I don't have long though…I've come to bring you something. Then I have a question for you." Natasha perked one eyebrow curiously as Thor handed over some papers with elegant handwriting on them. "My brothers' journal…I think you should read this." He said softly as he smiled at her.  
"What in case he tries something else?" She scoffed, holding the papers loosely between her slender fingers as she looked back at Thor. He just laughed and shook his head.  
"No, you know as well as I that my brother was not himself all those months ago. Just read them and I will be back in the afternoon to speak with you." He petted her on the shoulder and with that he was gone again. Natasha sighed as she brushed her hair back from her face as she looked at the first page.

_I managed to sneak out again tonight to see her. Thor is a heavy sleeper so he doesn't even notice me leaving. There's something about her… That bright red hair as fiery as her… there's something happening inside me. My heart skips every time she touches my arm or smiles at me. I know what they're doing in that place is something scary, she might just be younger but there is killer instinct inside her that I can see. _

Natasha blinked, so he did remember. She remembered the night he'd been captured, how he had spoken to her and the way he smiled, she had just assumed he was playing games – he was known for being a trickster after all. Sighing she shifted to sit comfortably, skipping ahead a few pages.

_Thor took me to one of his gatherings tonight – well forced me. There were women everywhere, a few barely inside their clothing which was repulsive. After a few drinks, Thor was trying to shove a few towards me. I have no interest in drunken whores. I managed to escape for a short time and visit Natasha. She was asleep when I arrived however, I felt guilty for waking her with my appearance but she seemed happy enough to let me under the covers with her since she was cold anyway. Even the most beautiful woman in Asgard pales in comparison to her. _

Frowning, Natasha couldn't believe these words were from Loki himself. However she could remember that night in question, she'd woken up – not expecting him to visit that night – to find him stood in her room in smart attire with a sheepish smile on his face. She'd just rolled her eyes and invited him under the covers with her before snuggling up against him and muttering something along the lines of 'if you keep me awake talking I'll slit your throat' before drifting back to sleep. He remembered everything…and even kept a record of it all. Curious she flipped to the very last page, anxious to see what was written.

_Father has forbidden me from going back there. He says it is unfair for me to keep visiting her. That a prince has no right trying to win over a Midgardian. What does he know? He must have found my journal to learn about her… I had to tell her though. It was the hardest night of my life so far, watching those sharp eyes soften and brim with tears as I informed her I could not come back again. It broke my heart, she was always so strong and independent, and she was always feisty. I held her in my arms for as long as I possibly could and promised her I wouldn't forget her. I will find my way back to her somehow. I kissed her tonight. The first time I've ever kissed someone and it was so pure and perfect. I don't think I can ever even look at another woman… Father says I'm too young for this, it's just childish romance – puppy love I think he called it – and I will find others. Natasha will always be in my heart._

That was the week before her 17th birthday. As soon as he'd told her he wasn't allowed to come back, she'd felt her heart break for the first time in her life. She was trained to kill people in hundreds of ways without breaking a sweat, but she was still a teenage girl who was losing her first love. She'd been upset for a while until she'd messed up in training and had been punished multiple times; she locked her feelings away and deemed love stupid and childish. She put the papers into her nightstand and rolled over to try and sleep, dreaming of her nights with Loki – only this time they were in the present day and Loki kept apologising for what he'd done to her, to Clint and the other Avengers, that he was deeply sorry for putting Coulson in hospital. She just shushed him and held him tightly in her arms.  
When she woke up, Natasha felt oddly rested despite it weighing on her shoulders that Loki obviously remembered everything – but she knew the Tesseract had a lot to do with what he'd done. That and it couldn't be easy to learn you're adopted. Pulling herself out of bed, Natasha got herself showered and dressed before making a mug of coffee for herself and one for Thor. Sure enough, as the clock turned to 12 o'clock, he was at her door and actually knocking this time before she let him in. He smiled brightly at her.  
"See, I remembered this time!" Natasha just smiled and headed back through, grabbing the warm mugs and sitting down, passing one over to Thor along with the papers.  
"So why did you bring me these Thor?" The man smiled and sipped the coffee as he relaxed into her couch, blue eyes shining as he looked at her.  
"I think you could be Loki's salvation. He cares a great deal for you and now the Tesseract is gone and his anger has faded away…He remembers everything." Thor paused, chuckling softly. "We used to think he preferred men, the way he'd always turn away every beautiful woman we tried to get him to date, or even just sleep with. It wasn't until when he was banished did I find his journal and learn about the red-haired beauty he had sworn his heart to." Natasha wrinkled her nose a little, she didn't usually allow herself to feel such childish emotions but the girly part of her was breaking out and celebrating that someone had actually saved their heart for her and her alone.  
"I thought it was just dreams. Until I saw him up close on the Helicarrier… but he wasn't the boy who used to visit me." She sighed, pushing her hair from her face as she looked at Thor. "So what is the purpose in showing me this?" Thor put his mug down and reached to clasp Natasha's hands in his huge ones.  
"My offer is this… Loki comes to you, proves to my father that he is still good and his heart is pure enough to love and that he was merely struggling with his anger and the Tesseract overwhelming him. He does care for you, I saw it. Those last few days before I took him back to Asgard for his punishment, his face would soften and a smile would be curling at the edge of his lips. My brother has always been sceptical and didn't believe he was good enough for any woman. All I ask is that you unlock your heart to those old feelings he wrote about… Give Loki a reason to be…good and pure. My brother is not evil, just misguided and lost within himself." Natasha sighed, Fury would not be happy if she turned up to the headquarters 'what are the missions for today, oh by the way I'm shacked up with Loki now, we decided to date. Hope you don't mind. So, those missions?' – and Clint would probably never speak to her again.  
"Thor…this is a lot to ask. I have trained myself to lock away emotions and keep myself at a distance at all times… It's not that easy." Thor squeezed her hands between his own to get her to look at him.  
"Miss Romanov please… I ask you this not only for me and my brother, but for yourself. Don't think I missed the way you looked at him before we left. I understand the things he has done to Midgard, to you and your friend Clint Barton… And it might be hard. But at least trial it… Let him stay with you a week and if you can tell me after that week there is nothing between the two of you then I will take him back to Asgard… back to his punishment…" Natasha sighed, knowing Thor was laying on the guilt. Loki might be unstable and done a lot of bad things but Thor still viewed him as his brother and loved him dearly. She pulled her hands free from Thor's tight grip.  
"Okay. One week. If he tries anything or even disappears from this apartment, I'm sending him straight back to you – and I can't promise he'll be in one piece." Thor smiled brightly and trapped her in possibly the tightest hug she'd ever receive in her life, leaving her a little breathless as she slumped back in to the couch.  
"I will send him down when the sun sets."  
"Yeah okay… Let me call the others and inform them so they don't accuse me of working for the 'bad team' or something. Just… make sure he arrives here and not my bedroom, my bathroom or even worse, the Helicarrier." Thor just nodded and clapped a hand on her shoulder.  
"I thank you Natasha Romanov, you will not regret this."

After spending hours on the phone and in the Helicarrier meeting room – Natasha had finally convinced the others what Thor had already let slip to them was true. It meant she had to show them her childhood diary and reveal a little more about herself than she was willing but if it meant they trusted her still and didn't compromise her job then it was what needed to be done. Clint was furious, sure that it was one of Loki's tricks but Natasha assured him she was completely fine and the childish handwriting in the diaries proved she had written the entries herself when she was younger. When she finally got back to the apartment, she had a few hours before Loki would arrive. She sat curled up on the couch with a glass of red wine clasped between her fingers, she'd not felt nervous in long while and she didn't miss the feeling. The sun set around 8pm and she moved to flick the lamp on, her body relaxed as the wine did its job. It took a little while but when the city was dark and lit up, there was a small noise within the apartment and a flash of light told her of his arrival. She instinctively reached for one of her guns only to realise it was only Loki. Standing up, she turned the main light on to see him better. He looked exhausted and forlorn; his eyes dull as they stared at the floor. Natasha stepped closer, her eyes trained on his face as she noticed the red marks running around his eyes like a racoons mask.  
"What was your punishment?" She asked, somewhat cold as she was still unsure as to whether or not this was a trick. His head tilted slightly towards the sound of her voice; making her wonder if he was blind.  
"To be trapped under a rock…and have snake venom poured into my eyes every hour until the All Father saw fit…Thor fetched me just as the hour passed…" Natasha turned to look at the clock; it was indeed only just ten past the hour meaning his eyes were still healing from the latest batch of venom.  
"I thought you were immortal and could heal…" She frowned, her eyes scanning over his face and his dull eyes.  
"I can. But after months of this torture, the immortals system can slow down… It will only take another half hour before I can see properly… for now everything is blurry and my eyes still hurt." Natasha sighed a little; she'd been punished at the orphanage before but nothing this bad. She lifted a hand to press her cool fingers against the red marks, Loki hissing and leaning back away from the touch. He wasn't the man she'd spoken to on the Helicarrier. All of his anger gone, he was remorseful and clearly in pain. Taking hold of his wrist gingerly, Natasha led him over to the couch and sat him down, figuring something cold would soothe the red marks so she went into the kitchen and held one of the hand towels under the cold tap before folding it and walking back to Loki – still sat in his seat with his hands in his lap, eyes blindly moving around the room as his vision was slowly coming back to him.  
"Here. Hold this on your face. It might help." She muttered, pressing the cold, damp cloth over his eyes as he lifted a hand to hold it there. Silence fell over the pair, Natasha resorting to flicking the TV on just to break it, sipping her wine as she watched the mindless shows, keeping Loki in her peripheral vision. They sat in silence for more than an hour before Loki removed the towel from his face and turned to look at her, the red marks gone and his bright eyes back to how they were supposed to be, their natural emerald hue.  
"Thank you." He said softly, moving to put the towel in the kitchen then coming to sit down beside her again. Natasha stayed quiet but nudged the bottle of wine towards him.  
"Help yourself." Loki sighed a little and shook his head.  
"I'm okay. I wish to keep a clear head." Natasha laughed softly, tilting her head to look at him. Loki smiled softly, just a small curl of his lips that made him look almost cat-like but nothing to make Natasha uncomfortable. She looked away then; her eyes back on the TV as she finished her glass then placed it on the table. It felt weird. To be sat in silence beside the man who had tried to rule the earth, no insults or harsh words passing his lips, nor any of the sweet nothings he had whispered to her back when they were younger and he thought she was asleep. Natasha shifted a little, pulling herself up to sit on the arm of the chair; her feet where she had just sat as Loki cautiously looked up at her. She just studied him for a moment before leaning forward, her elbows resting against her knees.  
"You remember everything?" She asked quietly, Loki staring at her, his lips parting to question before he knew she wasn't in a mood for playing dumb.  
"Yes." He admitted quietly. "Time passes differently in Asgard, I am hundreds of years old now. My anger blinded me to the memories and I almost forgot about you. Until the beast threw me around in the man of Iron's home and…what did you call it? Cognitive recalibration… knocked me back to my sense. And the first thing I could see in my dazed vision…" Natasha shifted, tilting her head to show she was listening. "The beautiful red-head that I had thought only existed in my dreams." He admitted quietly. Natasha sighed a little and looked off to one side. This was a little uncomfortable for her, knowing they both remembered….especially that kiss.  
"Nat…I mean Natasha…" She looked up then, hearing him use the old nickname he'd used, her eyes fixing on his. "I am so sorry. For everything… Believe me, I did not wish for everything to get as bad as it did… I was hurt to learn I was adopted. That I am nothing more than the monster under the bed and not of Asgardian blood…" Now that she didn't know.  
"You're what?" Loki looked up at her; he'd expected Thor would tell her about his true heritage. With a small sigh he closed his eyes and let his body temperature drop, his skin turning blue and the Jotun markings showing up on his skin like battle scars. He felt rather than saw Natasha move, something inside him dropping when he figured she'd moved away from him. His eyes opened only to see her leaning in close to stare intently at his skin, shock worked over his features before her eyes met his now blood-red ones.  
"Wow…" She breathed, sitting back on her heels like a child inspecting Father Christmas. "Can I…touch?" She looked at him. Loki just nodded, genuinely surprised that she wasn't screaming and running away or calling him disgusting. Natasha lifted a hand, reaching to trace over the lines that curled over his neck. A small noise of surprised escaped her at how cold he was.  
"What…You're so cold…" Loki nodded, his eyes never leaving her face.  
"Frost Giant…" Natasha just hummed like she'd heard the phrase a million times over before she pulled her hands back and let them fall into her lap. Loki stared at her as he turned back into his normal colour, his head tilted slightly.  
"You're…You're not afraid of me?" He asked, Natasha letting out a short, sharp laugh.  
"Loki. You scared me when you were being controlled by the Tesseract – that was scary. Being a Frost Giant, that doesn't scare me. After seeing the Chitauri, you're just like Loki in costume as something blue." She shrugged a shoulder, watching him as he failed to fight off a smile that spread over his lips. Natasha shifted uncomfortably before she changed position to sit properly on the couch, crossing one leg over the other. Silence fell over them again, the TV the only noise in the apartment apart from the odd rustle of fabric when one of them would move to shift their position or Natasha brushing her hair from her face. Eventually she gave up, announcing she was going to bed but Loki was free to stay awake and use the spare bedroom when he felt tired. However she struggled to sleep, her mind focussed on the journal pages in her bedside table. She only managed to fall asleep when it hit 4am, a dreamless sleep.

The week seemed to pass quickly and oddly without a single hitch. They lived in quiet peace, Natasha had no reason to argue with him and he had no qualms with the basic rules she had for the apartment. By the time the sixth day rolled around, they were having small conversations together on the couch, eating together and at one point Loki even went for a morning jog with her – taking his own route of course but met her back at the apartment building and waited patiently while she showered. Natasha knew it was only another day when someone would come to check in on things and take Loki back to Asgard if he hadn't proved himself. At the start of the week, she wouldn't have cared if he went back to Asgard and she put those memories to the back of her mind. But now, she wanted him to stay… a part of her even wanted to pick up where they'd left off all those years ago. They sat on the couch together the night before Loki was supposed to be leaving to go back to Asgard, a comfortable silence over them both as they finish dinner and had a glass of wine each. Natasha sat beside him, comfortable to be sat shoulder-to-shoulder with him; that was until she dozed off and woke up with her head resting against his shoulder and his cheek against her head. She sat up quickly and apologised, Loki laughing softly and waving one hand. Both had pink on their cheeks as they turned to look at each other, a moment passed before Natasha tore her gaze away and pushed herself out of her seat to fetch Loki's journal. She handed it back to him before sitting down.  
"Thor gave me this…I didn't realise you remembered everything." Loki blinked and looked through the papers handed to him, his own handwriting staring at him from the pages as he looked over the memories of his nights with Natasha when they were a lot younger.  
"Yes…. I promised you I wouldn't forget, did I not?" He smiled softly as he looked at her, Natasha staring at him before a shy smile worked over her lips, Loki almost cheering that he'd finally got to see a smile from her.  
"You did promise." She said softly, her eyes dropping to her hands like the shy girl Loki had seen years before. He shifted closer, reaching a hand to rest his palm against her cheek as he had that last night.  
"I never forgot you…. My memories might have been clouded for a while, and at one point I did wonder if I had created you out of loneliness, but you were never far from my mind." Natasha smiled again as she looked at him. He pulled his hand back and looked up at the clock just out of curiosity; he wasn't used to how Midgardian time seemed to flow differently. After a moment or two, he stood up to excuse himself to get some sleep, assuming he'd have to go back to Asgard the following day. Natasha just couldn't bring herself to say anything. After he'd gone to bed, she sat cursing herself for being too head-strong and told him she still felt something for him. Her heart would flutter childishly when she'd catch him watching her, or see that gentle smile on his face showing he was clearly happy to be where he was. She just shook her head and turned all of the lights off before crawling into bed. But she just lay there; wide-awake knowing what she was letting him go back to. She already had enough red in her ledger…Loki being trapped on Asgard and being tortured for years would play on her mind forever.  
After an hour, she threw caution to the wind and climbed out of bed to head through to Loki's room – her assassin training meaning she could move around without making a single noise. But Loki was awake, his eyes turning towards her as she stood by his bed.  
"Can't sleep?" He asked his voice low from being sleepy. She nodded and moved to climb into the bed with him. They lay in silence before he rolled onto his side to look at her, resting his head against his palm as he watched her.  
"So….what happens tomorrow?" She asked quietly, her eyes on his. Loki gave a small shrug, sighing softly.  
"I suspect Thor will come to fetch me…and the All Father will decide whether to put me back into the cell or not…" He replied, his voice soft as he felt the fear crawling up his spine about having the venom poured into his eyes again. "Unless…" Natasha nodded a little, adjusting the blankets around her body.  
"Unless I ask them to let you stay…" She finished for him, her heart aching a little at the thought of just letting him go back without at least fighting for it. Lifting her eyes to look at him as he leaned down, his lips just lightly brushing over hers before he pulled back.  
"I'm sorry…" He said, biting his lower lip and moving to lie down again. Natasha just smiled and moved to pull him close to her.  
"Kiss me again." She whispered, sliding one hand along the back of his neck to lace her fingers into his hair. Loki stared wide-eyed for only a few seconds before his lips curled into a smile.  
"It would be my pleasure." He whispered back and closed the gap between them, kissing her with a soft sigh. His arms wrapped tightly around her to hold their bodies together, her fingers tangled in his hair. Natasha's heart did some funny twists and turns as she kissed him back, the 16 year old inside her happy to have her first love back in her arms. His lips felt softer than she remembered, his kiss gentle and slow before they pulled apart. The smile working over his lips again as he rest his forehead against Natasha's.  
"So…does this mean I can stay?" Natasha just laughed softly and nodded, pressing another tender kiss to his lips and stroking her fingers over his cheeks and jawline.  
"You're never leaving me again, Loki of Asgard."

* * *

_[[So that's my first Avengers fic. I know it's short but I'll be trying to work on another longer one :3 I hope everyone that read it enjoyed it! Feedback would be wonderful _


End file.
